If no more players come in is this squad equipped for the season it has ahead?

With the current squad we need a lot of good fortune... we'd need our backline to both remain injury free and some experienced defenders to have a resurgence, or Yoro/Heaven to have a strong emergence, we need our almost entirely new midfield to settle and form good partnerships, and we need one or two of our already decent/good attackers to step up a level.

Currently our team is heavily reliant on Bruno, and most other players are either just okay, or inconsistent. To become real contenders I think we need 3-4 players to reach Bruno's level, and 10-15 players to be at a good, consistent level.

It's not impossible but I think we'll end up faltering into the top 4 again.
 
Depends on the ambitions, but if the aim is to consolidate, then yes. We're certainly carrying some risk in not having a dedicated back up for Shaw and Sesko, but it's not like we have no-one who can play there. It's more to do with the impact on tactics of having, say, Cunha up front or Maz at LB. The problems come if get compounded injuries. For example if Dalot and Shaw both get injured at once, then we're probably looking at Maz LB and Yoro RB. Fine for a one off game, but not a situation we want for a month or more.

On the other hand, the depth in both wide attacking areas and centre midfield is great, and while there's a certain quantity over quality situation at CB, we are at least covered with numbers there.
 
Fortitude said:
I see some saying we have the bodies, but do those bodies match with the aspirations of the vast and demanding season we have ahead of us?
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No. With average luck with injuries and suspensions, we will be stretched thin.
 
This window has been nothing short of dissapointing. 3/10 overall. City, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea all got stronger than us. No ambition, mediocre owners all that cheap talk about wanting to win the league etc is rubish. Words are cheap. We're cursed under this ownership. Feck the Glazers and feck Ineos and Ratclifee.
 
I think we can get top 4 with what we have. But it wont be easy or straight forward as our defence and goalkeeper will leak too many goals. It will also depend on injuries because as soon as one of our older players are out, the defence was a lot worse last season. We can obviously hope for gradual improvement year on year from Yoro and Heaven but there are probably going to be periods of 3-5 games this season where we need them to be established and reliable CBs for us and they havent been there yet.

So yeah I think we'll be just short of last season and it might even come down to the last day of the season to make the top 4, but I do think we'll still be in there. I would have expected to be more confident if you would have told me at the end of last season we're going to make several £35-£60 million signings because I'd have assumed 2 were midfielders and 1 would be helping another area. For me we've invested too much in midfield for too little.
 
It’s been a rubbish window, let’s be honest. We chased players who chose elsewhere/we bolted at the price wanted. We signed a player, then unsigned him and replaced him with Chelsea’s 4th choice midfielder. We haven’t addressed two obviously weaknesses in the squad. We’ve shown a lack of ambition and that’s unforgivable from a supporters point of view.
 
Nope.

Since Sir Alex left, United have had Champions League football in just 7 seasons. In 5 of those 7 seasons, they’ve failed to qualify for the CL the following season.

As it stands, it's hard not to see that stat becoming 6 out of 8.
 
The aim is to try and qualify for the Champions League and I’d say it’s 50-50 whether we will do that.

The big issue is the defence, we concede too many goals so failing to improve it is a big concern. Only three fullbacks, two of which have injury issues, two centre halves that play less than 50 percent of our games and Maguire is now 33.

We’ve only really added two players to the squad, a midfielder and Rashford so not a lot has been done to accommodate all the extra games. It might work out ok but if it all goes to shit it wouldn’t be a suprise.
 
Personally I think we're as ready as we could be.

The season we're heading into is (in my opinion) just another step towards competing. It's not supposed to be THE season. Essentially, this and last summers transfer windows have been steps towards a complete squad overhaul. We've done GK + attack last year, and midfield this summer. Next summer we're focusing on defense and general squad tweaking.

A couple of years ago, Berrada said that we should be competing for the PL title in 28.

I know there are several positions that need fixing. I have a gut feeling that next summer is going to be a big summer - transfer wise. And that's why we've been sorta slow/anonymous this year. Had the players we wanted been available for non-ridiculous prices, i'm sure the club would've done more business. It's impossible to overhaul an entire squad quickly.

After next summers transfer window the overhaul is completed. On paper. And that's when we're supposed to truly compete. Not this year. If Carrick can get us a top four position again this season, that'll be perfect in my opinion.
 
I doubt we will get top 4.
Hull destroyed us with long balls.
If Maguire is injured , who is playing?
 
I mean here we are all giddy with our midfield rebuild then you look at City and we just look like amatuers. Not only in purchases but in sales. I really want to be positive but its not so easy is it.
 
I think the window has been poor but we should be able to fight for top 4 and secure CL.

Positives
  • We’ve sorted midfield out in my opinion, the 3 we got in plus Kobbie is excellent choice.
  • Kobbie only played half a season last year at best, assuming he stays fit he elevates us as well.
  • Rashford IS an extra attacker no matter how we look at it, he will provide additional goals and assists.
  • Sesko is more settled and knows what the PL is all about, I think he’ll push on this year.

Negatives
  • No established LB cover is crazy so we need some luck with Shaw and accommodate him the best we can
  • We need luck with injuries to our CBs, we can’t afford to lose Martinez for chunks of the season.
 
Fullback and Centre back needed to be addressed. Going into another season of Shaw, Maguire & Dalot as 3 of a starting back 4 is fecking insane.

It'll be Arsenal & City for the title.

I do think top 4 or 5 is still doable, Liverpool haven't really strengthened, Chelsea have just lost Enzo and Villa have lost 3 of their main players. Not much between Utd and those 3.

This season will probably be top 5, at best CL Quarter Finals and decent FA cup/league cup runs.
 
It's been a pretty poor window and I have serious concerns about the coach. I still think 4th - 8th is the likely range, but I'm definitely now less confident about our chances of finishing in the upper part of that range.
 
The midfield and defence outside of Baleba looks very slow, amongst other issues.
 
No. Carrick has been stiffed.
 
We have an average coach, a below average defence, an average midfield and average forward line. I thought this window would be United looking at upgrading a few of those positions. The midfield which has been neglected has improved but not to the extent that was expected. As it is, par for us with this squad is about 6th-8th.
 
It's going to take a miracle for this squad to be sufficient for going deep in any competition.
 
For me it’s been a really poor window.

I doubt anybody at the start would’ve been satisfied with Baleba, Tielemens & Santos.

The only one I’m really pleased about is Baleba.
 
No experienced LB really hurts. If Shaw gets hurt and is out for any great length of time we are screwed. If Hall is the one they really want spend next year's money and give Newcastle what they want.
 
I am really, really disappointed with the transfer window. We needed at least a left-back, a centre-back, and a striker. Next year, in addition to those, we’ll need another left-back, centre-back, and right-back—so at least six players, plus possibly a left-winger. That’s never going to happen; with these clowns, we’re stuck in an endless cycle where we never manage to build a team capable of challenging for the title.
 
If we qualify for CL again, that would be a huge achievement.

The left back position is a problem and could turn into a disaster if Shaw is unavailable.

Even the midfield revamp is quite underwhelming. Here's hoping Baleba and Santos can step up.
 
Canuckred64 said:
No experienced LB really hurts. If Shaw gets hurt and is out for any great length of time we are screwed. If Hall is the one they really want spend next year's money and give Newcastle what they want.
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Need a countdown to when he does actually get injured
 
The window has been poor. Nobody wanted Santos or Tielemans in June. I'm sure Baleba was wanted by some of the fanbase, but he had a horrible season last year. A lot of people wouldn't have wanted him for that reason. We still probably have a better midfield this season than we did last, but it's still underwhelming. Hopefully Mainoo continues to shine and Baleba massively improves from last season.

Not signing a LB is suicidal. Even if Shaw stays fit again, he is going to get exposed. He already did against Ipswich. Without Shaw, it is a disaster. I think our CB options are also a risk, but I wasn't expecting anything to be done about that. We have numbers, but they're either injury prone or young.

God knows what this season is going to look like. We were quite reliant on set piece goals last season, and we've lost Casemiro who was scoring a bunch of them. That was our main weapon to combat opponents playing deep against us.

The squad is not properly equipped to play in the CL. Carrick is going to have to produce miracles.
 
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No, we don't. We'll be in trouble once the champions league starts. We are not equipped at all to compete on multiple fronts. Nowhere near.
 
Team full of inconsistent players who blow hot and cold, mid table will be as good as it gets. A couple of long term injuries away from 12th place.
 
If we were to look at this football manager style for a bit, at the end of last season, the goal for Carrick/upper management this season could have been 1) Match or exceed last season's league position 2) continue to instill financial discipline I.e., wages and fees appropriate for a player's caliber so that we are not perpetually stuck in a 'rebuilding loop' 3) Raise the floor of the squad's level by clearing deadwood. This also ties into the above point but more importantly we don't have obviously poor players starting for us. 4) Have enough depth in squad to make strong champions league and domestic cup progress and maybe win one of the cups?

I think 2 and 3 look good. 1 and 4 feel less promising because of how much our rivals have invested although I feel we brought smartly..
 
I think the business we’ve done is the bare minimum of what we needed to do to keep competitive. Obviously would’ve liked a LB and one more attacker but at the very least we’ve sorted our midfield out which has been a huge problem for years.

Getting Rashford back isn’t the signing we all wanted but it’s one more attacker than we had last year and if he keeps his head in the right place he will make a difference. Carrick being his coach is important, it’s not like he’s coming back to Amorim who has no use for him.

Centre back is a big problem for me. We could come through alright if Yoro takes the leap and De Ligt can regain his form and stay fit. Those are huge ‘ifs’ so the risk there is really high, especially with Martinez being so injury prone.

The main let down is left back, having Shaw as the only proper option. He’s not even good enough to still be here but is guaranteed a spot. Dalot and Maz can play both sides but it’s the clear weak area of the team.

I think we have enough to be good this year. What I would be happy with is finishing third again but going far in the cups. That would earn a massive vote of confidence for Carrick and the squad if they can follow up last year with solidifying themselves as a top 3 team playing midweek games.

It’s easy to be upset at this point but we have a good squad of players, just lacking a bit in top end talent. We’ve come a long way from having Antony, Hojlund, Garnacho as our attackers or Ugarte being our only substitute option in midfield. This squad has improved massively.

I think the push is to go big next summer but if we can cement ourselves as a top 3 team then it shows we have the tools to take it further and really challenge next year.
 
With Zirkzee looking to be going it looks like we are going to be one squad player better off than we were last season. When we had 40 games. Abysmal.
 
We need a lot of players to step up big time to come out of this season with anything. Don't feel as a team we've improved significantly in midfield over Cas, who had plenty of goals in him. We've added numbers but quality is still unknown.

Top 5 if we're lucky with injuries, but unlikely.
 
Decent first 11 but squad is too thin. With the number of games looming this season I'm expecting the usual (probably defensive) injury crisis - we just have too many injury prone players. We muddled through pretty well last season mainly due to the tiny fixture list but I expect us to get properly found out this year and finish 5 - 7 if we're lucky.. early exit from cups and Europe probably only chance of top 4 finish
 
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We did our usual thing from the past 13 years. Finish relatively high with us securing Champions League football, then following that up by having a poor/underwhelming transfer window instead of truly trying to kick on and win the big trophies.

So I'm expecting the usual thing that follows. We'll get worse due to the heavier schedule, underwhelm in Europe again and sink back down the league.

It's a shame because I really wanted us to back Carrick.
 
No.

A couple of injuries and we are looking threadbare. Plus we are back in Europe and will be playing more games than we did last season and that’s something we simply haven’t strengthened for. How the club never seen that, I just do not know.
 
Once upon a time we had a great mix of talented young players coming out of the youth structure and players bought where needed , sometimes they were superstars and sometimes they were very well scouted purchases of lesser known players but fit a system ( admittedly not all worked out ) . Unfortunately very little remains that resembles that time. The greatest Manager in my opinion retired and everything turned to dust in our hands. The club I loved led by a Legend of a Manager with the drive to succeed has turned into a money making machine that no longer is bothered about titles as long as the money keeps flowing and we are there or thereabouts. The fans deserve more. I'm not from a Manchester but I love united fans , I love their passion and love for their club it saddens me that the owners don't care about them. This is not just based on this transfer windows disappointment but over years of grinding this beautiful club and their fan base down. You all deserve more in my opinion.
 
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